MSS: Natalie Coughlin

Natalie Coughlin has a renewed focus in the pool in the months leading up to the Olympic Games, and she talks about where that comes from. She also explains how she planned the past few months in terms of competitions, and what her racing schedule could look like at the Olympic Trials.

Show Transcript: (Note: This is an automated service where some typos and grammatical errors may occur.)

Peter Busch: This is The Morning Swim Show for Thursday, December 22nd 2011. I'm your host Peter Busch. In the FINIS monitor today we'll talk to Natalie Coughlin who just broke an American record and was part of a world record breaking relay at the Duel in the Pool. Natalie Coughlin joins us right now in the FINIS monitor from her home in Lafayette, California. Hey Natalie, welcome back to the show. How are you?

Natalie Coughlin: I'm doing well. Thanks for having me.

Peter Busch: Congratulations on breaking more records.

Natalie Coughlin: Thank you. Yes, it was quite exciting. It was a really good way to start off Duel in the Pool with American record and a world record.

Peter Busch: It seems to us like you've been re-energized lately. Are we looking too much into that?

Natalie Coughlin: No, it's definitely the case. I've been more excited in training and in competing than I've ever been. I think part of that is because it is the Olympic year, and the other part is I knew that I was going to be so, so busy with sponsor obligations and media obligations and such that I met with Teri McKeever, my swim coach, and then Nick Folker, my strength coach, in the beginning of the year and we really set this plan ahead that I was going to train no matter what and I was going to fit in all of these things. and for some reason having such a good plan laid out really gave me something to be excited for and it's been working out so far.

Peter Busch: We did a little research and we were looking at your Olympic history. You have 11 medals and you're only one away from catching Jenny Thompson as the most by a female swimmer ever, so I'm starting to think are thoughts of legacy creeping into your head there and how you could be one of the greatest Olympians of all time?

Natalie Coughlin: A lot of people keep reminding me that I am so close to that record and that's awesome. It is my goal to be at the Olympic Games next summer in London and I hope to qualify in both individual events as well as relays and I think, fingers crossed, that I qualify. I think whatever I do qualify in, I do have a shot at medaling, so I know there are major challenges in front of me, my competition is getting stronger and stronger both domestically and internationally, but I'm up for the challenge and I'm really excited about it.

Peter Busch: That's great that you view it that way, because it's certainly obvious that there's a young crop of swimmers, like you said, both in America and outside that know that you might be the best of all time but that might not matter in 2012.

Natalie Coughlin: Right, but at the same time I've been to the Olympics twice before and I have an idea of what to expect and I've said this before - no matter what happens from today on I'm very, very proud and happy with my career. Everything from today on is icing on the cake and I think that puts me in a really good position and it's something that I feel like I don't have much pressure on me but at the same time I feel like I could be better than I've ever been in the past.

Peter Busch: How would you describe your relationship with Missy Franklin?

Natalie Coughlin: Missy and I get along really well. I don't think anyone doesn't get along with Missy. It would be a shock if I heard that someone did. Everyone loves Missy, myself included, and for a 16-year-old she's so mature and I'd just recently met both her parents who are amazing people and I could see why she has such a good head on her shoulders because they're just two amazing people. You see her in interviews and at meets and she's just like "Oh my God, I'm so excited to be here. This is amazing. I'm so happy, blah, blah, blah, blah" and sometimes you could see people like that and you think they're putting on an act but Missy is honestly like that and it's refreshing. I've never met anyone who is legitimately so excited to be there no matter what's going on in training or at a meet and she's a good energy to be around.

Peter Busch: I'm wondering if her addition to the national team has helped re-energize you and others just if nothing else knowing that your relay potentials are still much greater for gold medals with her as a part of them.

Natalie Coughlin: We're in a really good position because Missy, she could swim a backstroke or freestyle, you have Dana who could swim butterfly or freestyle, I could do backstroke or maybe a freestyle, and then we have Rebecca who is so dominant. It's nice in the medley relay to have so many different options with those four people but then also there are so many other greats out there. We do have very, very strong relays in our future I think.

Peter Busch: We were talking about that before this interview behind the scenes, Jeff Commings and I, you could mix up that medley relay a few different ways. You could easily flip flop with Missy, free and back. Heck, you could probably do breaststroke the way we saw you swim at the Georgia Invite and still qualify for the top eight.

Natalie Coughlin: I don't think I'm going to be put on any relays in breaststroke, but I have been working on it. Yes, I think that's a good position to be in and I think Jack Bauerle last weekend was considering mixing it up a little bit but then just decided to go with the tried and true: me as backstroke and Missy as freestyle and Dana and Rebecca in the middle and it worked out really, really well.

Peter Busch: Is that the way you'd prefer it at the Olympics if everybody qualifies?

Natalie Coughlin: I mean I'll always swim no matter where they want me to swim but I prefer to go towards the front of the relay and I like to start even with people. I don't like to start either ahead or behind, and plus my flat starts are really good. My relay starts are good but I think my flat starts are really good, so I think that's why I am led off in the relay so often.

Peter Busch: Are you working on that breaststroke so much because you're thinking about swimming the 200IM?

Natalie Coughlin: I'm considering the 200IM. Mainly I'm working on the breaststroke just because I was just like "What the heck" I haven't done a 100-yard breaststroke in 11/10 years or so and I was with my husband at a meet in Italy and my husband, Ethan Hall, he coaches and he does such a phenomenal job of teaching me how to do breaststroke. For some reason the way he teaches it really clicks with me. I was working on the 100IM in Italy and we were just really, really working on my breaststroke and it was something fun for me to do a couple of weeks ago to really focus on the 100 breast because I'll probably never focus on the 100 breast ever again.

Peter Busch: When was the last time you went dancing?

Natalie Coughlin: The last time I went dancing - I don't think it was that long ago - probably at one of the several weddings I've been to this year. I've had like 11 friends get married this year so I'm sure it was at one of those weddings.

Peter Busch: My brother's getting married New Year's Eve. Have you got any recommendations what I should do to get the party started?

Natalie Coughlin: To get the party started - ever since my "Dancing with the Stars" career I do like to do the spins and stuff and my husband, he just goes with it, I just hold on to his hand and I just like spin around - I think it's really fun.

Peter Busch: So you say you're leading?

Natalie Coughlin: I think just having confidence on the dance floor is what matters the most and just having a really good time.

Peter Busch: You're also an excellent cook. I must ask - what are you cooking for Christmas dinner?

Natalie Coughlin: Well, Ethan and I, we have a tradition that we go to my grandparents' house for Christmas Eve and then his parents early Christmas morning and then my parents for brunch. And then the two of us, we get a bunch of Dungeness crabs and we just feast on crabs Christmas dinner, just the two of us. We've been doing that for a few years now and I can't wait to go pick up our crabs on Friday.

Peter Busch: Crabs for Christmas.

Natalie Coughlin: Yes, very San Francisco.

Peter Busch: We just learned something new about Natalie Coughlin everyone. I'm fighting a cold, do you have any good chicken soup recipes that would get me out of this funk?

Natalie Coughlin: Yes, I do have some quite good chicken soup recipes and that is supposed to be scientifically proven to be very good for you so I'd recommend it.